"I do feel quite silly."

After all, Donald Mallard was a professional. He knew much about psychiatry, but attempted to humble himself and follow orders. Perhaps this woman could enlighten him to some new ideas.

"Most people do, Doctor Mallard, please sit."

As he took his seat, his eyes wandered around the office. Perhaps he could do some profiling of his own.

"So Doctor, why do you think you feel silly about this?"

"Well," he cleared his throat. "I have taken many psychiatry courses myself, I consider myself rather learned in the subject."

"Then maybe this session will got a lot smoother than most. Why don't you start by telling me about your job?"

"Yes, I am a medical examiner, have been one for over twenty years."

"So you must enjoy your work?"

"I don't think 'enjoy' would be the word to categorize it, no, I'd say more that the work is 'enticing," to me, the only part I enjoy is seeing my work being used to bring punishment to the guilty."

"In twenty years you must've come across some odd cases?"

"Odd? Yes I would say so, along with scary, gruesome and horrifying."

"I can see how you can say it's not enjoyable…does your work ever draw you into despair?"

Ducky stopped and reminisced of the morning he unzipped the bag to find Kate staring back at him, and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Only once."

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

He sat up straight. "I would rather not."

"I see, well, how about the others you work with? Do they often venture into your autopsy room?"

He nodded. "Not often, Jethro…Agent Gibbs, will come down most frequently, the others on occasion. I have an assistant as well."

"Tell me about this assistant, are you two close?"

"We are becoming so, yes, I feel like I am somewhat of a father figure to him. But he sees me as odd at times…"

"Why's that?"

"I talk to them."

"Talk to your assistant?"

"No, to the bodies…it, well, it helps me work out the mystery in my mind…some people find it particularly strange."

"But you do not?"

He nodded in agreement. "I do not."

She jotted down a few quick notes. "It really is not note worthy, it's simply one of my idiosyncrasies…Jethro, slaps the back of heads and stares people into oblivion, Tony chases woman, Abby wears dog collars, Timothy writes and I talk to the dead…its nothing really."

She smiled slightly. "Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, well, is there anything else strange about you that you want to qualify as nothing."

"I don't find it strange, others do…but no nothing I can think of right now."

"How about your personal life?"

"My elderly mother lives with me…that's the only thing interesting enough to note."

She laughed a bit. "Do you want to switch seats Doctor Mallard?"

"Ha, quite the contrary actually, I'm enjoying this."

"You are something of a caretaker?"

He paused and reflected on that characterization for a moment. "Yes, yes I would imagine I am."

"You take care of your mother…father figure to your assistant, and I would say to most of your other co-workers as well- even Agent Gibbs?"

He nodded. "Yes, subsequently, I do happen to have a small amount of influence on Jethro, which is more so than the others have…just came through time, and friendship."

"He is a tough nut to crack." She smirked a bit.

"He can be."

"But you care for him anyhow?"

"The best I can, it is not easy at times."

"Why do you continue to try?"

"Because he cares too. You just have to know how to see it."

"Did you try after Agents Todd's death?"

Ducky's ears shot up. He wasn't expecting that comment. "I take it Jethro spook about it with you?"

"Actually no, your director filled me in on some details…I understand you were held hostage by the man that killed her?"

"I was."

"That must have been quite terrifying?"

"It was."

"Do you feel you could have done things differently? Perhaps prevented that man from escaping that day?"

He stood up hastily. "If I would have had the chance to kill the bastard that day, don't you believe that I would have? I would have just as well taken her place, just as Jethro would have. Do not presume that I am plagued with guilt, simply because I do not blubber like a baby about my feelings…I am deeply scarred by that event, yes, but do not need another Doctor to bring that to the light…and so I feel that we are quite finished."

He swiftly grabbed his jacket, and to keep from being less than a gentleman, he nodded a goodbye towards her, opened the office door and left.

--

AN: Up Next, Abs or McGee? You decide….also this story won't be ending when these appointments come to a close, so don't get sad…I may have more in store!